These are the most delicious, most tender smoked meatballs you'll ever have! We're going half pork, half ground beef, and throwing these bad boys on the Traeger at 225 degrees for two hours, resulting in the most mouth-watering meatballs imaginable. Once you try this smoked meatballs recipe, you'll never make your meatballs in the crockpot again!
How To Make Smoked Meatballs
This smoker recipe couldn't be much easier: we're mixing our beef and pork with a variety of ingredients and flavors, rolling it up into meatball-shaped balls, and tossing them on the Traeger until they hit an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
Serve with your favorite marinara sauce, some fresh ricotta cheese, and a piece of baguette, and you've got yourself an effortless Sunday-night meal that's sure to please everyone in the family.
The Ingredients
- Ground beef. 80/20. For a rich, meaty flavor.
- Ground pork. For juiciness and tenderness.
- Buttermilk. For a tangy, slightly sour flavor.
- Egg. Contributes to the richness and binding properties.
- White bread. For a soft, slightly chewy texture, and to help hold everything together.
- Parmesan cheese. For a sharp, salty and nutty flavor.
- Fresh parsley. For a bright, fresh, and slightly herbal flavor.
- Garlic. For an aromatic and slightly sweet flavor, while also adding some depth and complexity.
- Chili flakes. For a subtle, spicy touch of heat.
- Lemon juice. For a bright, acidic, and slightly sweet flavor.
- Salt & pepper. To taste.
The Directions
1. Add egg and buttermilk to medium-sized bowl, and whisk together.
2. Add in white bread, and whisk until well mixed together and broken down.
3. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well.
4. Separate mixture into 3.5 oz portions, and shape into meatball-shaped balls.
5. Add meatballs to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. This recipe yields 16 meatballs.
6. Preheat your smoker to 225. Add tray of meatballs to smoker when it's been preheated.
7. When the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, pull the meatballs off the smoker and place them in a cast iron skillet. This should take around two hours.
8. Cover the meatballs in your favorite marinara sauce, while still in the cast iron skillet.
9. Return to your smoker and cook for another 15 minutes, to allow the sauce to stick to the meatballs. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, and ENJOY!
Recommended Tools
- Traeger Grill. I love my Traeger 780 for all things smoking, but you can use the smoker of choice.
- Cast Iron Skillet. Perfect for smoking meatballs on the Traeger! We love this cast iron skillet.
- Mixing Bowls. We use these FineDine stainless steel mixing bowls all the time.
- Digital Food Scale. If you're like me and need to weigh everything precisely, then you'll love this Escali digital food scale for weighing your meatballs!
The Best Smoked Meatballs Recipe (On The Traeger)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef 80/20
- 1 pound ground pork 80/20
- 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 6 slices white bread
- 1 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1/4 cup parsley fresh, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp salt
Instructions
- Add egg and buttermilk to medium-sized bowl, and whisk together.
- Add in white bread, and whisk until well mixed together and broken down.
- Add remaining ingredients. Mix well.
- Separate mixture into 3.5 oz portions, and shape into meatball-shaped balls.
- Add meatballs to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. This recipe yields 16 meatballs.
- Preheat your smoker to 225. Add tray of meatballs to smoker when it's been preheated.Â
- When the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, pull the meatballs off the smoker and place them in a cast iron skillet. This should take around two hours.
- Cover the meatballs in your favorite marinara sauce, while still in the cast iron skillet.
- Return to your smoker and cook for another 15 minutes, to allow the sauce to stick to the meatballs. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, and ENJOY!
